Ohio is spending Friday afternoon under a thick deck of clouds, with temperatures stuck in the 40s and a chance of light rain in many areas, according to the National Weather Service. There were no active watches, warnings or advisories in effect for Ohio early Friday afternoon. The weather service put Columbus and Cincinnati near 45 to 47 degrees this afternoon with about a 40 percent chance of rain, Cleveland near 45 with a slight chance of rain, and Toledo near 42, the coldest of the state’s major cities.
The main change this evening is in the northeast. The National Weather Service in Cleveland calls for rain to become likely tonight around Cleveland, with a chance of precipitation near 70 percent, a low around 39, and northwest winds of 9 to 14 mph gusting as high as 24 mph. New rainfall is expected to stay light, at less than a tenth of an inch. Farther south and west, the rain chance fades early — Columbus has only a slight chance of rain before 7 p.m. before skies turn partly cloudy.
In the northwest, Toledo stays mostly dry after a slight chance of rain between 3 and 4 p.m., turning partly cloudy tonight with a low around 30 on a northwest wind around 7 mph. Dayton is mostly cloudy this afternoon near 46 and mostly cloudy tonight near 30. Those below-freezing lows are part of a chilly night statewide, so drivers should watch for damp roads after dark and anyone heading out late will want a warm coat.
In the southwest, Cincinnati’s chance of rain runs about 40 percent before 4 p.m., then skies turn partly cloudy tonight with a low around 31 and a light northwest wind. In the southeast, Athens and the hill country see a 40 percent chance of rain this afternoon with a high near 47 and less than a tenth of an inch expected, then mostly cloudy skies tonight with a low around 28 — the coldest reading in this outlook.
Saturday splits the state. Central, southwest and southeast Ohio turn mostly sunny, with highs near 45 in Columbus, 48 in Cincinnati and Dayton, and 46 in Athens, while Toledo is partly sunny near 45. The northeast is the exception: the weather service keeps rain likely around Cleveland on Saturday, again near a 70 percent chance, with a high near 47, northwest winds around 17 mph and gusts as high as 28 mph, and a tenth to a quarter of an inch of rain possible.
Saturday night turns mostly cloudy for much of Ohio with lows in the 30s — around 36 in Columbus and Cincinnati and 33 in Toledo — while a chance of rain lingers around Cleveland with a low near 38. Sunday is mostly to partly cloudy and a touch warmer, with highs in the upper 40s to near 50, including 47 in Columbus and Toledo, 48 around Cleveland and 50 in Cincinnati.
The week ahead starts brighter. The National Weather Service calls for sunny skies Monday across most of Ohio, with highs near 50 in Toledo, 51 in Columbus, 53 in Athens and 55 in Cincinnati and Dayton. It is a quiet, chilly November pattern overall — no severe weather is expected — but the northeast’s gusty, rainy Saturday and the below-freezing nights are the two things to plan around this weekend.